Need high fiber ideas that are Gluten/soy/flax free

[Ophelia]

I have been trying to add more fiber to my diet for over a year now. It's a lot harder than it sounds especially since I am GF for DS (he still nurses).

I recently found Amaranth cereal, so I worked up to about a cup a day, I either add syrup or a little sugar/raisins to it. Is there another way I can sweeten it up or make it taste better? I haven't tried butter yet. I heat it up and eat it hot. Will also try mixing it with hot quinoa.

I just can't seem to get enough fiber and it's frustrating. Just adding the amaranth hasn't seemed to help (constipation, not going every day). DH keeps saying 'prunes'. I only have a handful once a day, all it does is give me gas

I have beans (red, kidney) pretty regularly, like most weeks for my main meal.

Any ideas? Thanks!

[Messac888]

I would eat more raw fruits and veggies. I'm not a raw foodie, but if I need a boost I head to the produce department. Nuts are good too; I'm not sure if you can have them, I know there's a hefty list of foods you can't have but I didn't see nuts there. Worth a shot if you're able!

[Carrie Posey]

Chia seeds. You can add them to anything even just water, we love them!

[juliebird]

Have you looked into chia seeds? I understand that these are a good, complete source of plant-based protein, a blood stabilizer, chock full of Omega-3s and Omega-6s AND are hydrophilic (they absorb something like 12x their weight in water) and so are really good for keeping your digestion regular (they call it the intestinal broom! eew!)

I've been using them for a few months now (a daily dose of chia gel in a glass of water or juice) and I've really felt much better constipation wise. (I'm pregnant and that always makes me BADLY constipated). I've been regular as clockwork. ONce in a while I'll start to feel like 'uh oh' it's coming back and i'll just up my chia seed dose for the next day or so.

You can research chia seeds at raw food.org or elsewhere on the net.

HTH!

[Ophelia]

Nope, can't have nuts either, forgot to mention that. Anaphaliptic (sp) to peanut, walnut, and sesame.

I JUST got some chia seed today, but I need to grind it and then only try a little bit to see if I have a reaction. If not, I'll start using it. I seem to have a problem with seeds, since I cannot have flax or sesame

So I'm kind of afraid to even try the chia but I won't know unless I try it.

I do have veggies as the main part of my meal (cooked though) and not a big fruit eater. I ate apples for a long time but sick of them now.

I also try to drink the required amount of water per day (65-70 oz) but that is also hard to do, and the only difference it makes is I have to pee a lot more often :/

[Sayward]

If you're trying to treat constipation it may not be fiber that you need. Do you get enough fat? Plenty of healthy fats makes ALL the difference for me!

[notamommayet]

Originally Posted by juliebird

Have you looked into chia seeds? I understand that these are a good, complete source of plant-based protein, a blood stabilizer, chock full of Omega-3s and Omega-6s AND are hydrophilic (they absorb something like 12x their weight in water) and so are really good for keeping your digestion regular (they call it the intestinal broom! eew!)

I've been using them for a few months now (a daily dose of chia gel in a glass of water or juice)

Juliebird/anyone else who consumes Chia...so you just "hydrate" it in water or juice and drink it? I tried "hydrating" it once in water and eating it with some blueberries (like a cereal, I guess) and it was really gross. Is it just something you have to get used to? Or am I doing something wrong? Thanks!

[californiajenn]

Grains can actually cause constipation. I'd back waaay off grains and add good fats to your diet along with more veggies.

[mountainsunshine]

coconut flour. I make these fab muffins using CF.


Sarah

[cristeen]

Definitely look at your fat intake. A couple Tbs of Olive or Coconut oil each day can definitely keep things well lubricated and flowing nicely.

[kjbrown92]

I'd look at the fats thing too, before adding more grains, but if you want to add more grains for other reasons, we make millet porridge and hot buckwheat cereal. Don't load up on rice though, since it's a binder.

[tanyalynn]

For my kids, probiotic foods and magnesium are better at regulating digestion than fiber. Maybe we're odd, but fiber doesn't seem to be a factor for us, but probiotic foods (we love homemade kimchee) are great, and magnesium has helped occasionally, and I hear it's very helpful for some other folks.

I think most of our fiber comes from veggies, we're also gluten and dairy free, and we also eat legumes (no intolerances to them, I mean) and those have a lot of fiber too--if you eat both regularly, maybe keep track for a couple days and see how much fiber you actually consume. With the food intolerances you're dealing with, you probably eat a lot fewer processed foods than most people, so you probably already consume more fiber than is typical.

[Ophelia]

Very interesting! So what other good fats besides:

olive oil
avocado
?

I don't really like coconut, I think I can tolerate the milk if it is in something. I used to think I was allergic to it, but I just made a cake with it and was fine. Couldn't taste it.

I had heard about the magnesium and forgot about that. I am not sure about supplementing right now though, as I am pregnant and had a miscarriage last time. I don't want to take too much of the wrong thing. I could very well be low on it though, probably don't get enough in my diet.

My ND also has me doing enemas altough since they are NOT fun, I don't use them nearly as often as i am supposed to. She said i am really backed up.

Thanks!

[punkrockmomma]

Originally Posted by Carrie Posey

Chia seeds. You can add them to anything even just water, we love them!

This exactly what I thought too, when I read your question. I started taking a spoonful in milk this morning. They're supposed to be really good for you, and they have enough fiber in them that they will clean you out.

[punkrockmomma]

Originally Posted by notamommayet

Juliebird/anyone else who consumes Chia...so you just "hydrate" it in water or juice and drink it? I tried "hydrating" it once in water and eating it with some blueberries (like a cereal, I guess) and it was really gross. Is it just something you have to get used to? Or am I doing something wrong? Thanks!

I read that you can add them to any liquid you want and drink it before the seeds are hydrated in the glass, they will become hydrated in your stomach. Your body can digest whole chia seeds, unlike flax seed that needs to be ground up before you eat it. Just google chia seeds there is a lot of info out there about them.

[raksmama]

Going by my own experience eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables will help constipation the most and grains, even whole grains and bran made it worse.

[crunchy_mama]

Originally Posted by Sayward

Plenty of healthy fats makes ALL the difference for me!

Originally Posted by californiajenn

Grains can actually cause constipation. I'd back waaay off grains and add good fats to your diet along with more veggies.

Originally Posted by cristeen

Definitely look at your fat intake. A couple Tbs of Olive or Coconut oil each day can definitely keep things well lubricated and flowing nicely.

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

I'd look at the fats thing too, before adding more grains

Originally Posted by tanyalynn

For my kids, probiotic foods and magnesium are better at regulating digestion than fiber.

Originally Posted by jalilah

Going by my own experience eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables will help constipation the most and grains, even whole grains and bran made it worse.

I agree with all the above. MORE FATS! Less grain. Probiotics and magnesium. Fiber in the form of fruits and veggies.

[Ophelia]

Thanks! Can you give me ideas on more good fats I can try? All I have so far is avocado and olive oil. Not a coconut milk fan if I can taste it.

I am on probiotics. I did one month of HMF intensive, and just switched to regular HMF. Haven't noticed it making a difference. Also been on kefir for about 3 weeks, about 1/2 cup day. No difference noted.

I take Nordic Naturals CLO even though they have soy in them

I would have to check with my ND to see if there is a safe level of magnesium I can take while pg. I would like to try it.

The only veggie that seems to help me is sweet potato. But I can't have those all the time or I will get sick of them, plus DS needs to eat other veggies too.

I tried to keep track of my fiber count for a couple days, but it was impossible.

[tanyalynn]

re: fats, we use a lot of animal fat. We're dairy free, so I actually render tallow and lard and use those for most of our cooking needs. As an off-the-shelf solution, I use spectrum palm shortening, it's flavorless and versatile. If you tolerate dairy, then butter's an easy one, and oh-so-yummy.

If you aren't seeing any change from kefir or high-count probiotic supps, you may want to look into stool testing (maybe Genova? read in H&H for the pros/cons of different tests, I haven't done it myself) some people have odd bacterial balances that really only respond to specific strains of probiotic supps. Just plain kimchi has been fine for us, but I've read of enough other people that have needed specific types of probiotic supps, and have had great results, to think that that's something to consider.

[Ophelia]

Thanks! I didn't think animal fat counted as 'good' fat. We do have bacon once on the weekend as a treat, and then once in a while I use it in a weekly recipe. I can have dairy. I actually try not to eat too much cheese because I figured it has the opposite effect and stops me up (actually, I thought that of all dairy and meat - I don't eat much meat anymore because of that). Although now being pregnant again, I am finding I don't feel too good sometimes and i think I'm getting low on protein, so I end up eating more cheese in between meals.

I did have the stool testing a few months ago, I was low on certain probiotics but it wasn't anything awful low I don't think. The test results came along with suggestions on which strains I need so I'm sure my ND took that into consideration.